BIG FRIEND LITTLE FRIEND

Empower, Inspire, Mentor! – Volunteer Mentors Needed for the 2024-2025 School Year

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United Way of Greater Yankton’s Big Friend Little Friend (BFLF) program is looking for volunteer mentors, committed to spending two (2) hours per month, during the school day, sharing their time and positivity with local Yankton School District students.

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During the 2023-2024 school year, United Way’s Big Friend Little Friend In-School Youth Mentoring Program was a great success with thirty-five community members volunteering over 240 hours, mentoring local youth in a one-on-one capacity. United Way’s hope for the upcoming school year is to place forty (40) BFLF Volunteer Mentors within YSD schools, increasing the impact on local youth.

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Mentoring, at its core, guarantees young people that there is someone who cares about them, assures them they are not alone in dealing with day-to-day challenges, and makes them feel like they matter. Research confirms that quality mentoring relationships have powerful positive effects on young people in a variety of personal, academic, and professional situations. According to Mentoring.org, youth who are connected with a caring adult mentor are 55% more likely to enroll in college, 78% more likely to volunteer in their communities, and 130% more likely to hold leadership positions.

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Mentoring relationships are a shared opportunity for learning and growth. Many volunteer mentors say that the rewards they gain are as substantial as those for their mentees, and that mentoring has enabled them to:

• Achieve personal growth and learn more about themselves

• Improve their self-esteem and feel they are making a difference

• Feel more productive and have a better attitude at work

• Enhance their relationships with their own children

 

BFLF Volunteer Mentors are paired with a single student mentee with similar interests for the duration of their friendship. However, BFLF is not a tutoring program. Volunteer mentors use this time in any way which is special to the pair—playing games, doing crafts, shooting hoops, sharing hobbies, and talking about their week. According to Rob Stephenson, a current BFLF Volunteer Mentor, “I’ve enjoyed my time in the program the last several years working with three different boys. It’s not always easy to find time during the school day, but the teachers have always been very flexible. Also, knowing how much a child looks forward to having someone show up and give them one-on-one attention they may not otherwise get makes it very rewarding.”

 

For more information about becoming a United Way BFLF Volunteer Mentor or for other volunteer opportunities, please call United Way of Greater Yankton at 605-665-6766, email bflf@yanktonunitedway.org or visit www.yanktonunitedway.org/bflf.  

 

All it takes is one caring person to make a difference in the life of a child. You can EMPOWER, INSPIRE, MENTOR!